A common problem of vehicles which have flush-mounted door actuators which are not self-storing is that, after the door handle has been moved to the open position to unlatch the door, the handle remains in the open position projecting perpendicular to the vehicle door. When the door is swung open and laid flat against the side of the vehicle, the handle pierces the sidewall of the vehicle. This necessitates costly repair.
It is desirable to have a flush-mounted door actuator which is self-storing, i.e., which biases the door handle to the flush or closed position whenever the handle is released. Door actuators are commonly riveted to the vehicle body and can be serviced only by removing the actuator which is time consuming and expensive. It is also desirable to be able to service the mechanism for biasing the handle to the closed position from outside the vehicle without having to remove the door actuator from the vehicle body.
A padlock is commonly used on door actuators to prevent unauthorized persons from opening the door. For quick, frequent deliveries, a padlock is inconvenient to use. It is desirable to have a simple key-lock mechanism on the door actuator to prevent unauthorized persons from opening the door.